Forget Me Not
by Runic Healer
Summary: Reincarnation tended to be troublesome, but it's nice knowing someone loved you before you were born. Scratch that, maybe it was a little creepy. For all it's worth, Jace Beleren did not regret meeting Sorin Markov for one bit. Maybe a few little bits when they didn't get along or had really big fights, but arg! Reincarnations tend to be more complicated than most people think.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes:** I decided to write some MTG slash some time ago, but I think I was pushing the plot a bit and I was a little unfamiliar with the universe. Now that I'm back, it's safe to say that I managed to get a better grasp in the Multiverse and I hope to write a good Sorin/Jace fic. Oh yeah… Jace thinks Tezzeret is dead after the events in Scars.

Enjoy~

**Forget-Me-Not**

I

It was a few weeks ever since he saw the last of Garruk, and he was a little curious on what he planned on doing with Liliana.

It wasn't guilt for _abandoning_ her or anything, but he wanted to see if the beastly walker planed on brutalizing the century-old necromancer. He wasn't really _that_ concerned, he knew that the older planeswalker could take care of herself and could beat Garruk when she wanted. In fact, he wasn't doing this out of some obligation for not showing up to her after defeating Tezzeret.

Or so he says.

But that doesn't motivate him enough to summon the courage to call mana and follow the trail of corrupted Æther trail Garruk left to Bolas knows where. He did not find a reason good enough to check on what could have possibly caused Liliana to curse someone like Garruk. He didn't even try to see if the world Garrujk found Liliana on and followed could be affected by whatever chaos and destruction those two would inevitably unleash if they were to come to blows.

_Coward, _a part of him said. He ignored it and turned towards his tomes.

The Consortium was in shambles after Tezzeret died; he didn't want to seize leadership for himself then, but when he saw the possible havoc they could cause if left unattended. He didn't even mean for Baltrice to leave after meeting Tezzeret a few years ago. Maybe he should have followed her, but he didn't.

_Nice going there, always running away._ Shut up.

Liliana and Garruk's business were theirs. He shouldn't pry.

II

Innistrad was turning out to be a hotspot for planeswalkers. It wasn't long before he became just as curious and decided to visit for a peek as well.

Unlike other planes, Innistradi humans had enemies on all sides of many kinds; Mirrodin had Phyrexians against Mirrans, Zendikar had the Eldrazi and the brood against the natives and vampires (it was more like a free-for-all than anything else), Kamigawa had spirits – like the Nezumi - against the living, Ravnica had its guild wars (another chaotic free-for-all like in Zendikar). What set Innistrad apart was the fact that all the creatures were against a single group, but centuries passed and they have yet to truly win.

Until now. He really did his homework on Innistrad.

Despite the fact that humans were the solitary side against vampires, werewolves, zombies, and the like – they weren't running out nor they were stopping for a moment's respite. Millennia passed, Innistradi humans fought against the creatures of the night, yet neither truly won in the war.

It was interesting, as if a higher force was trying to ensure equal survival and mortality rates on both sides.

Avacyn's appearance felt a little suspicious. Of all the angels that suddenly decided they wanted to help the humans, why her and why decided to help when humans were on the brink of extinction? Couldn't she appear at an earlier time when people weren't as desperate? Or was it desperation that gave her reason to appear? There must have been signs long before the human populace was running out, couldn't she have appeared earlier to make sure great bloodshed did not happen? Or did she wait for an opportune moment to ensure devotion from the people for saving them in their time of need?

He did not know, but Jace was more than willing to find out.

Just not now.

Not when Liliana and Garruk were still at large and when a great number of planes were in danger. Gideon may have saved Zendikar, but Mirrodin was still in danger and tensions among the guilds in Ravnica were escalating. He still haven't finished all of Tezzeret's research and he still needed to find out if the older man had more plots that only needed to be sprung.

They were all valid reasons. He wasn't making an excuse just because he's afraid of meeting Liliana.

III

Innisitrad was living through its darkest time. The despair and evil that hung around the plane like an ominous fog grew thicker. Humans were turning to demons and other sources in desperation of protecting themselves. They sacrificed others in hoping for selfish salvation, only to be enslaved into a fate worse than death. Then again, being called back from the dead was just as bad, and not even corpses can have their eternal rest.

However, an interesting factor appeared.

There were a few accounts of a white-haired man in dark clothing turned up in a few planes every now and then. Most said he did not involve himself in the affairs of others, some say he was always searching for an obscure spell or another and one person said that he was a planeswalker before the Great Mending. This elusive mage was sighted rather frequently on Innisitrad, thrashing through vampire parties and overturning every corner where darkness lurked. It was also said that he managed to create what a great number of mages thought impossible for thousands of years: an angel. He doesn't believe Bolas, of course.

That dragon comes and goes by the Consortium, and Jace does his best to capture him and hopefully make sure he'll never cause another problem again. Bolas only proved the fact that dragons were related to snakes, scarily so.

Jace still researched, and he managed to find a single plane of interest.

The plane wasn't that large. In fact, it was the size of a small garden but it had stone walls as its boundaries and nothing beyond. Clusters of blue flowers covered the ground and the stone walls that is looked that made the plane look underwater, or around the skyline. On the ground, a small circle laid in the center made out of marble. There was a stone pillar above it - a memorial - and it was well-maintained.

"_May the best days of our lives never fade, may our memories remain eternal even if our bodies may not."_

When Jace inspected the stone, he saw a small area with several scratches that marred the smooth stone.

'_Sorin Markov – Erik Corvus' _

For some reason, he thought that the name 'Sorin' fit the planeswalker that stormed Innistrad better than 'Erik' ever would.

When Jace Beleren left the memorial, his heart was heavy and his body was exhausted. He felt a great burden weighed down on his shoulders and a longing that he did not understand.

He wants to get back to his library and find out why.

IV

Tezzeret was either brilliant or mad, Jace preferred the latter.

Artifacts that replicated mana, artifacts that made summoning creatures from Æther easier, artifacts that rendered creatures useless, artifacts that cut off mages from mana - Gods! Tezzeret had more than hundreds-no, thousands of manuscripts that described their properties, their structures, materials needed to create them –everything! How did he get the –oh, there was a spell for turning back time, but its use was limited and short-lived. Still, twenty years was short to amass a great number of research notes and _plans_.

He wasn't surprised the first time he raided Tezzeret's libarary, but he was surprised to find that Tezzeret had _more_ than _eight_ libraries. Does he create libraries on his free time? He was a minor member of the Consortium before he took over, how could did he ever find the time to create them between missions?

Tezzeret was old… but that did not justify his ridiculously large collection. Or someone older could have given this to Tezzeret. The latter looked likely.

Besides artifacts, Tezzeret had a surprisingly large collection of books ranging from magical and scientific theory to historical text and fiction. There were journals too, but Jace wasn't sure he wanted to find out if they were given, scavenged, stolen, or taken forcibly. He really preferred the first and second scenario.

He was rummaging through one of the libraries on a plane near Innistrad, and yes he was still avoiding Liliiana and he wasn't interested in meeting with her any time soon. He doesn't want to answer any of her questions that would definitely include 'Why did you abandon me?'

"I want to do the right thing, and taking over a criminal organization to cause terror won't look good on my good guy resume. I did take over because they were scaring people off, now I'm hunting criminals instead of consolidating power in other planes. Maybe next time Lili." If ever he had the chance, he will say that to Liliana's face. Yeah, as if that'll work out fine.

The hubbub in Innistrad died down, the archangel Avacyn returned and Liliana decided to return to Ravnica. He wasn't in Ravnica.

It's not that he was afraid of Liliana, he was just wary. Not with Liliana, but the herculean hunter following her. Getting strangled did not leave him any good impressions of the Wildspeaker. He had to be careful with adjusting his collar because the larger planeswalker left bruises.

Call him a coward all you want, but there are times that one must wisely avoid conflicts, especially when you know you'll be on the brunt edge of the war.

Now that Liliana and Garruk left Innistrad for Ravnica, Jace decided to explore the peculiar realm they just left: Innistrad. His first destination in mind was Gavony, but considering the large amount of rotting corpses littering the streets upon the aftermath of Avacyn's return, Jace decided to pick Stensia instead.

Why Stensia? Well, Nephalia was probably twice as worse as Gavony since a large percentage of cemeteries were on that location, and water increases the stench of carcasses. Kessig sounded interesting, but a large percentage of its dwellers were not as advanced as their fellow Innistradians. And Garruk loitered there and he wasn't interested on going to wherever Garruk went. That was why Stensia was the currently the best location.

He wasn't really much of a fan of vampires; he wasn't really a fan of a lot of things. He really should get out more, but the call of ancient tomes and cryptic text instead of social interaction and verbal communication. He wasn't embittered with Liliana, he was just wary and he wasn't in denial. He was serious. He wasn't in denial.

The Avacynian church had a very extensive and old library, but vampires had bigger and older ones. Several families had old libraries as well, grimoires passed down on every generation, noblemen that decided that living forever was more fun added their collection of literature to whatever coven that sired them.

There were four powerful and large bloodlines: the Markov, the Stromkirk, the Voldaren, and the Falkenrath. The larger they were, the more vampires they had; the more vampires, the more tomes collected. Since Markov had the most kin in Innistrad, it wasn't surprising to know that they probably had the largest library in the plane.

And it was likely that the planeswalker Sorin Markov was related to them.

V

It wasn't easy sneaking inside one of the estates. Even if it was old and abandoned, wards protected it from intruders and dismantling it was similar to slicing a heart open with a sledgehammer. It wasn't pretty.

A hundred or so wave of spirits (local dialect: geists) and stone gargoyles later, Jace was picking through tomes that Tezzeret did not have a copy of. Translation: every book present.

Oh he was more than giddy. He was so giddy that he almost forgot to quadruple check if there were any wards that he forgot to dismantle. He was pretty sure that no one knew he dismantled them or he was there. He was almost gliding among the books, lost in the high of scouring through new spells and sorceries; no one could pull Jace away from this small pocket of paradise.

Until, well, now.

"I find it rude that you're going through my library without telling me about it."

Jace did not squeak like a girl. The sound he made was a masculine exclamation of shock and indignation.

The stranger chuckled in amusement. Jace was about to berate him for trespassing until he processed the man's words. He was about to call on for blue mana to erase his existence from the stranger's mind, but that would mean the man would be confused why his wards were down and he would have to construct newer and better ones.

Jace hated dismantling ancient wards.

Instead, the young planeswalker was going to make it that he was a personal friend of the stranger, and he would just insert his existence here and there and—

"Going through other people's minds is rather rude, Jace." Oh shit, he did not expect the stranger to know him… Which meant that he's a—

"Planeswalker? Yes. I am Sorin Markov by the way." White-haired, dark clothed, really long sword, and a vampire? Yep, this guy fit the bill alright.

"You're the vampiric party-thrasher? You don't look very impressive in person." Curse his tongue. Didn't Tezzeret say something about being careful what you say because you offend others?

_The only reason I'm not currently picking your spine out from between my teeth is because you were smart enough to arrange these wards ahead of time. More to the point, I know full well you feel the same about me, no matter how you choose to doll up your words and trot them out like perfumed trollops._

Shit, that wasn't he was supposed to remember!

"I would usually find myself irritated should anyone dare trespass through my personal possessions, but I find myself amused at your expense at getting caught. The sound of feminine shrieks escaping the lips of men had always amused me."

What?

Did he? Oh no, he didn't just—

"I'm glad you think so! In my opinion, I find men with feminine accessories and parade themselves to the eyes of the world to be fetching."

Instead of offending Sorin, it only amused him more. Jace could feel it without trying to read his mind.

"Do you really?" The vampire was smiling and then stepped closer, partially successful in invading Jace's personal space. "I find you be quite fetching as well, it's rare to find handsome and outspokenly sarcastic men these days without fearing loss of entrails in the face of the rage of a vampire."

Wait what? Did Sorin just… hit on him? Wait? His brain didn't manage to decode the message. It felt forever before he managed to comprehend whatever the white-haired man said. And when he realized that Sorin did hit on and compliment him Jace did the most logical thing most men in this situation would do.

He fled.

It was more like 'he used his telekinetic abilities to push Sorin away and gather mana to planeswalk to a safe base' all the while hiding the pleased blush on his face.

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Forget-Me-Not**

_Chapter Two_

VI

Rationalize Jace. Think!

Why did he flee in the face of compliment instead of fleeing when confronted with rage? He doesn't know, except that his brain went overdrive when he realized what Sorin meant and he did the next best thing his mind came up with when he panicked: escape.

He was starting to notice a pattern here, but he needed to calm down and go over what happened in the manor.

After taking a great lungful of air, Jace plopped on the squishy armchair inside Tezzeret's library hidden in Lorwyn. It was pretty large, but there was an area that's obviously great for relaxation and reading. It was definitely liberating from the stone cold walls of Ravnica and the minions breathing down his back from the Consortium. It was rare for him to go on through days without a courier telling him someone was at the door or something like that. He does manage to concentrate, but not on things that he would have preferred. Jace did not have the luxury of selfish solitude.

It really was sad.

Except for the part that he wasn't in Ravnica, he wasn't in the Consortium, and he now had the time to ponder on things he actually wanted. It was definitely preferable over the headache-inducing paperwork consisting of logistics of supplies, funding for buildings, and any other accounting-related migraines. He can now rationalize and think what interested him for the past few days. Starting with the most recent until the point he left Ravnica for Innistrad.

…

Well… Make that minutes turned hour.

Now that he's calm, he can rationalize why he fled yet felt ah… thrilled at the eh… compliment. Alright, why did he flee? Well, first thing that flashed in mind was 'vampire' and next to vampire, the following words followed: seduction, hypnotism, they can fuck you with using their eyes only, and they can trick people into turning into their willing food-supply or fuck slave. He understood the appeal of men kissing men, what scared him was the probably chance of eternal servitude of a stranger.

It wasn't good on his future career as a mage.

Next was his show o satisfaction. It just shocked him, but why was he pleased again? That part got a little confusing because, as much of a prodigy he was when it comes to the cerebral aspects of magic, social niceties and human interaction eluded him occasionally. His past… well… romantic… _liaison_ wasn't very successful, and said liaison had issues. So he wasn't really sure how to react to whatever the enigmatic vampire said, but when he managed to realize just _what_ Sorin said… He was pleased right before realizing he was talking to a vampire and potentially condemning his life as a blood-supply to a very powerful planeswalker. Not good for his 'independent guy' resume!

Now, why was he pleased again? Was he pleased because someone as powerful as he was acknowledged him as an equal and decided to treat him with equal footing? Was he pleased because an eternally aesthetic man like Markov found him fetching despite obvious implications of immortality details and opening himself to other better-looking species over the years? Was Jace pleased that he didn't offend the man, and Sorin found his sarcastic quip amusing?

See? Romantic interaction creates complications that a single entity cannot have the answer for it, which was why they seek others to answer them.

As a man who learned from other people's mistakes, these kind of things end up in disaster more often than not.

…

Alright, he was speaking from experience. And no, he wasn't bitter damn it!

Of course, there were outside parties, other acquaintances that he could ask assistance from, but Jace felt that if he shared his experiences, his listeners would have said or asked the following: did you like him? Was he perfect? Why did you leave? He could have been a good lover! Did you feel an erection?

Sorin Markov was a handsome man, but Jace won't have a go with him in that place -too creepy and bordering on stalker-ish-like scenarios for his tastes. If they met in a bar in Ravnica, he might have gone off with him to somewhere private. Bu that's that. Not unless the vampire redeemed himself by proving he's not a creepy stalker, Jace might give him a chance.

If ever though.

Screw that.

If there was anyone acting like a creepy stalker, it was him. First of all, he was the one who trespassed into someone else's property. As much as it hurt to admit it, Sorin was within his bounds, but did he have to invade his personal space? Okay, it wasn't much of an invasion, it was more like poking at his personal bubble, but he did not cross too many boundaries. He also needed to apologize or make up to the man for trespassing.

Thinking about it now, he really shouldn't have been surprised a fellow planeswalker knew his name. He was rather well-known in Ravnica, and everyone loved going to Ravnica. That also meant that Sorin wasn't stalking him or he was a mind-reader.

Damn his great affinity for logic.

VII

Thank Ravnica for small miracles.

Liliana and Garruk decided Ravnica wasn't a very good place to play hide-and-seek anymore, so they moved to Lorwyn. Which meant Jace now had a clear signal to go home. That was half-good and half-bad though.

Good because he can get some work done and bad because he had to work. Oh the libraries. If only paperwork can be passed through special planar devices, but alas there was no such thing. If ever someone thought of inventing artifacts that had no need for papers and ink, Jace would have gladly bought it. If Tezzeret were still alive, he might get around to tell him about it. Too bad he's dead though.

Some of his minions in the inner circle (ha! He sounded like a horribly-done villain from an adventure novel) asked about his whereabouts and sanity, but the others were thankfully aware that he didn't want to be disturbed. That didn't stop them from demanding pay rises.

Oh the horrors of paperwork. Good thing he found about that cloning spell before leaving Innistrad, else he might bemoan his unfortunate fate twice as loud.

Well…

That was what he was actually doing, honestly.

In a rather clean, but thankfully dim bar, Jace hid away in a booth as he drank some Zendikar Elven Vodka. He wondered whoever started the myth that elves were lightweight, the booze he had was pretty strong. His first sip already gave him a nice, fuzzy buzz going.

Whatever happened next, Jace blamed it on the alcohol.

He was feeling really mischievous for some reason (read: under the influence of alcohol) so, he subtly (read: tried as subtly as he can, but it was pretty good because no one noticed, except for the sober people) called for blue mana and brushed (read: slammed on baloths like Garruk on a bad hair day with Liliana at forefront of the mind, which also meant everyday) past through some mental shields and tried to see (read: almost erased everything) what were on the forefront of the patrons' minds if not for the barkeep's boisterous voice that said a single name that had Jace clam up like a man on his death sentence.

"Sorin! Been a long time, how's Yvana?"

Oh, it wasn't Liliana, Garruk, or Chandra, but… Shit! It's Sorin fucking Markov! Jace pushed the vampire away from him like a rag doll the last they met in his _own_ property.

Jace decided now was a good time to sober up and subtly leave, preferably leaving no trail to follow. He already had plenty of people he offended, and Bolas definitely had his attention and vice versa (that sounded wrong, urk), and he definitely did not need another planeswalker 'vowing to have his head and mount it on a wall to enjoy the warmth of a fire during winter'. Chandra already made that vow, or was it Garruk? He wasn't really sure, he was drunk that time too and there was a holiday and a 'no killing fellow mages today' ward around Ravnica and—Sorry for unnecessary rambling, said the alcohol.

He tapped for blue mana once more, but it wasn't enough and the magic fizzled in his hands and Jace decided that manaburns from your own spells hurt more than from enchantments. Damn, he didn't want to repeat whatever happened on the day of the festival with Liliana and when they had to rescue Kallist—

And he cursed his alcohol induced angst-ridden nostalgia for making him hesitate.

He stumbled out of the booth; some of the patrons and the bouncer were thankfully respectful of privacy, but they were too respectful that they decided to not _help him out _after suffering the effects of serious alcohol intoxication.

The bad part? The person he was avoiding had to be one that _paid_ attention to him. If he wasn't suffering from alcohol intoxication, Jace would have the foresight to cast an illusion to keep people's eyes away from him. What happened to Tezzeret's warnings of always be prepared?

"Sir, your bill, you haven't paid it yet."

Curse his need for anonymity and decision to get drunk in a bar where he did not have any tabs. What the hell logic?

"How much?" God, his slur sounded awful. Alright, the bill… where was his wallet? Right, Elven booze was ten pieces of gold. Jace put them over the table as gently as he can.

His eyes flicked towards Sorin and a bit of guilt flared in his gut. Damn, he really should stop running away from people he offended.

"Sorry about trespassing into your property weeks ago, I honestly thought it was abandoned." Sorin, once again, seemed amused with him.

"It was no problem. I was rather intrigued someone managed to unravel the wards in a span of months. I knew, of course, that you were trying to access my property, but I was curious whether you can dismantle them or not." The bartended handed the vampire a glass of red wine (or blood) and he took a sip from it. The white-haired man gestured for Jace to take the seat next to his. "I'm paying."

What? No angry and offended rebuttal? Just amusement? No threats of castration for going over other people's property? Was this a trick? The lack of a negative reaction surprised jace. For all his time invading through other people's minds (and houses) this was a rare time someone found amusement in his plight. Honestly, he didn't know if he should be offended or not.

He chose not.

Jace sat down on the stool and called for a shot of whisky. The lack of raged rebuttal was a nice change over getting strangled, burned, nearly maimed, crawled on by the undead, and other unsavory experiences. No way in hell he's letting this pass. In case his liver managed to fail him, maybe he can get Sorin to take him to pay for his possible alcohol-purging via medical tube.

They didn't talk.

VIII

He now has free access to twenty libraries across the Multiverse. Three were in Innistrad and a five were in Ravnica. A really large one was in Dominaria.

Glee.

He now had access to spells that were unavailable in most planes (due to some family secret or another), let alone knew they existed. They all looked just as old as the ones Sorin had in Stensia. By the approximation of the _really_ older man's age, his collection was more than five thousand years old. Glee. Absolute glee.

"I do remember an old friend having the same expression as you. He was quite overjoyed when I let him inside one of my old libraries in Esper. I believe that he was your old mentor. I do remember him mentioning you some time ago. Too bad we haven't seen each other since he disappeared. I never knew how Tezzeret was ousted from the Consortium and how you took his place."

The glee came to a screeching halt.

"You knew Tezzeret?"

"He is quite an inquisitive man. He was once callous with his words. Of course, he learned to, how was it, ah! 'Dress his words up like pretty little trollops' over the years. And—are you alright? You look a little pale."

Jace nodded, smiling weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just… tired." How lame did that sound?

Sorin shrugged and clasped a hand over his shoulder. "Well, if you are tired, then I suggest retiring for the night. The trip was long and we had to go through three planes all within the day. There's a room upstairs that you can use."

Jace nodded once again and insisted that he can find it on his own.

The room was pretty Spartan, but there was an elegant air to it, albeit dusty.

When Jace plopped down on the large white bed, he groaned.

Of all the people in the Multiverse, why did it have to be _Tezzeret_? Of course, of all the people that could give Tezzeret a free library, why did it have to be _Sorin?_ How messed up was that?

He wanted to hurl, but he didn't want to ruin the nice patterns on the carpet, but he still wanted to hurl. He could hear Lady Fate laughing at him mockingly; did the Gods hate him or something? He was trying to get away from everything (mostly a lot of things, but he can't really leave Bolas or Tezzeret's old cabal behind), and what he was avoiding collided with him head on.

He really should have denied Sorin's free booze.

Alright, rationalize Jace. That's what you're good at, thinking a way out of this mess.

On second thought… Perhaps he can use this to his advantage. He does know that Sorin had a hand in sealing the Eldrazzi in the Eye of Ugin (Jace did apologize for being partly responsible for breaking the seal, he also made up for it by sharing a memory-erasing spell he invented), and Sorin was very pissed with Bolas for planning the whole thing. They could make up an alliance and stop Bolas from whatever nefarious plan he was scheming.

Why did he never mention Tezzeret? If he mentioned Tezzeret during their conversations about protection magic, he might have known about this earlier! Was he avoiding everything so much that he pretended they did not exist when in the company of others?

IX

"Kallist?" His throat felt tight and his heart ached. Wasn't this a mirror? Didn't he steal his best friend's identity and body all those years ago? Of course this was a mirror. It's impossible to bring back the dead in a state where they didn't seem dead, except if you're a necromancer. Still, Jace looked away. It hurt every time he looked at any reflective surface, he never saw Jace Beleren. He only saw Kallist Rhoka and how he killed the man that he called a brother.

He really hated mirrors.

He was about to turn away when he felt a warm hand over his bare shoulder. His heart clenched painfully and he gritted his teeth in annoyance. Why did his body betray him when he trusted it that it would not?

"Jace." Still, he wasn't looking at Kallist (best friend, brother, first love, stupid crushes, stupid fighting lessons, grief, "I'm sorry"s, and fuck) he did not _want _to look at Kallist. He wanted Kallist to go away and stop bothering him.

Dead people should stay dead.

"Leave me alone."

And Kallist did.

X

Strange, wasn't a mansion supposed to stand behind that mountain that had a bid rock perched on a very narrow tip? Stensia did not seem like a dry and water-lacking location to him, so what's with all the dead plants?

"Sorin! Don't go too far!" He froze.

"You're too slow Erik!"

From the distance, he could see white hair whipping around the wind and a mop of dark hair following it. They were headed toward him in a slow pace, but he couldn't move an inch. He couldn't move his fingers. Gods, what's happening? He can't move and he wanted to open his mouth to chant a spell, but not a single muscle obeyed his mental commands. He wanted to call out to Sorin and ask what he was doing in Innistrad instead of hanging around in Ravnica.

Then he saw them.

Sorin did not look like Sorin at all, except for the white hair and unnaturally pale skin. He looked really young, younger than Chandra and he was really sickly-looking.

If Jace wasn't frozen like an icicle, he would have frozen once again.

Behind Sorin was himself—no, it was Kallist. Didn't he just tell him to leave him alone, because Jace decided this was one sick dream and he couldn't really—

They passed through.

They passed through him like he was an illusory mist.

He was still frozen, but his mind was racing with a thousand thoughts. How did they pass through? Was this real? What's going on? Why was Kallist with Sorin? Was he fading away? What the—

Jace shot up from his bed with a shuddering fasp and tears in his eyes.

**To be continued…**

**Notes:** Was that a good enough mood whiplash? XD


	3. Chapter 3

**Forget-Me-Not**

_Chapter Three_

XI

Ravnica's guilds were at it again. Fights broke out in every street between mooks from guild A and mooks from guild B.

Joy.

He should get a reward or something. The plaque should say 'Jace Beleren – He Who Finds Conspiracies and Gets in Trouble Once He Acts' or 'Jace Beleren – That Bastard that Foils Interplanar Domination Plans'. It should be in gold, or in crystal. He should hang it in the Consortium's main hall for the world to see!

Not.

Why can't he just hide in libraries in peace? Why does he need to commit himself to the greater good? Wouldn't his life be easier if he did not learn how to planeswalk? Wait. Wouldn't it be easier if Bolas died? Everything came back to that fucking dragon, what gave him the idea that Interplanar Dictatorship was good?

He couldn't enjoy actually enjoy these fountains of knowledge if the off-chance it would be caught in a crossfire should an interplanar war erupt.

Like right now, he couldn't actually enjoy reading this aged codex about a ward master's personal research notes and bits of life. So far, he saw theories and several entries about a friend that had to leave to study medical alchemy.

'_Erik came back. He's engaged to a girl named Alliana. I don't like her.'_ Jace froze. Oh no, this was just a coincidence.

He flipped through a few more pages. _'Coughed a bit. Erik fussed, as usual. He gets motherly every now and then. Still not talking to him. _'Not what he was looking for, so he flipped through more and backtracked to see for more clues. _'He's wondering why I'm not talking to him. Idiot. – I didn't take my medicine today. I fucking hate it. – Grandfather's acting weird. – Erik's grandfather died a few weeks ago. He won't talk to anyone, not even to me. At least he's not talking to that bitch. – It's been two years. I'm his best man. If she makes him happy, then he can have her. – Alliana Corvus, as bad as it sounds, as much as I hate her, as long as she makes Erik happy, then it's fine.'_ Jace slammed it shut and shoved it to where he found, Sorin's desk.

Those were too private, as much as he loved seeing other people's secrets through their heads, but it felt wrong to intrude on their possessions. Alright, he had intruded on other people's possessions with great guilt, but Sorin was a friend and it felt wrong to read his journal like that…

"Ugh, why do I always find what needed be hidden?" he asked himself aloud.

"I believe Lady Fate loves giving you her time and attention." Jace almost jumped, but knowing Sorin for a few months now, he had expected the older man to pop in to his personal libraries every now and then unannounced, so Jace became less surprised when he would answer his voiced thoughts.

"I never knew you were quite intimate with Lady Fate." Jace hovered towards the shelves, looking for a new book to read. Sorin shrugged and sat on a nearby couch.

"I had lived for over five-thousand years, and my memories have yet to fail me. Knowing the mischievous goddess, she has a tendency to play with mages that specialize in blue magic. After all, they're mostly the curious ones and they usually end up in situations that are unfavorably amusing with persons they find hostility with." Sorin was now reading a book. Where did that came from?

"I don't think I'm currently her favorite, seeing as I'm not in an 'unfavorably amusing' situation as of now, nor do I find my company with such hostility. In fact, I rather like where I am right now, but the company is not wholly welcome whenever he wants to amuse himself by shocking me whenever I am focused on my materials."

Sorin raised an amused brow.

"Alright, your company is preferable over the murderous bastards that I met over the years," Jace admitted scowling. "Even by just a bit."

"Ah, I'm glad you find me to be above the heinous masterminds. It's rare for mere mortals to be comfortable with the company of a vampire with the wisdom of millennia on his side without feeling any urge to run a pike through my heart." Sorin looked smug, but Jace would have none of it.

"The way you pet your ego is quite terrifying. Should I stab reality on your narcissism?" Jace was flipping through a book about using blue magic in helping enhance the thinking abilities of others, thus making them more mindful of strategies when encountering others in battle.

Sorin just laughed. "I'm afraid I am far more in touch with reality than you think. If not than we would not be having this conversation, no?"

Jace just snorted. Smug bastard.

_XII_

"_I'm sorry."_ _Sorin looked away, guilt was written all over his features. Jace exhaled deeply and smiled at him with closed eyes, but the teen could see the tears forming around the lashes._

"_It's alright. I… Alliana was shocked, and by the time we managed to relocate her to a safer place… Well… that." Jace sighed once again and continued packing more of his wife's possessions. He was placing her folded clothes into a large chest that will be hidden in the attic, never to be opened again._

_Sorin could not look at him, opting to stare at the floor instead. "You feel that you should have been faster, didn't you? Like it's all your fault, but it's not! I—" Sorin swallowed. "I shouldn't have asked her instead of you to help me. I knew she was pregnant; I knew that the walk to the gardens was long; I knew that should anything happen, it would take time before help could arrive. If you're going to blame anyone, blame me." Sorin was looking at him with the same fierce determination that reminded Jace how young Sorin was once when he wanted to get out of the lonely mansion just to explore the gardens. He was getting stronger, Jace knew, but with the way Edgar sheltered him… One would think he's much more fragile than a flower._

'Like Alliana,'_ he thought with a painful pang in his chest. At least, at the very least, his little girl was saved. He sighed and beckoned for Sorin to come near with a sad smile. Jace was already walking towards him._

"_Sorin, look—"_

"_I know what you're going to say, and nothing you will say will ever convince me it's not my fault!" The white-haired fourteen-year-old was breathing laboriously; it had Erik's honed medical intuition concerned. The young man's lungs weren't quite strong yet. Which meant shouting would exhaust them greatly and—_

"_I did it on purpose. I hate her because she took you away from me. No matter how I tell myself that she makes you happy, I know that there are times that she couldn't and you always fight and you forgot all about me even if you promised not to, and—" Jace pulled the young noble to a tight hug._

"_If it will make you feel better that I will hate you for making it seem that it was _your_ fault that she died during childbirth, then I might leave you with more heartache," Jace murmured, burying his nose in the shorter mage's hair. "None of us knew that she would be in labor on that day, or did you know that it would stress her out. I could never hate you, no matter what you do. You will always be important to me, and I'm sorry if I made you feel left out." Jace pulled away, a small laugh escaped his lips as he looked at Sorin's red face._

_Jace smiled gently, his blue eyes bright with heartfelt gratitude. Somehow, he felt that everything will be alright as he looked at the younger mage. "I know that you exhausted yourself in trying to sustain her until help arrived. Even if you say you hated her, you didn't have to call for help to save her, nor did you have to try healing her."_

_He held Sorin's shoulders in a tight grip; his whole frame began to shake as he gazed at Sorin's wide golden eyes. "You're definitely the most selfless person I know. Even if it meant to sacrifice your own joy for my happiness, you would do it. I'm really sorry… I don't think I deserve to have someone like you after everything I did. I'm surprised that you still want to be with my company if it hurt you so much."_

_Sorin looked away, but Jace gently held his chin and raised it gently 'til their eyes met once more. "For everything, thank you."_

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

"_It's not getting any better. We thought I was getting better but it's actually getting worse isn't it?" Sorin was staring at his blankets blankly, blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth, he did not seem bothered about its presence._

_But Jace was very troubled about it. "Sorin, look—"_

"_If you're going to sugarcoat an explanation, then I don't want to hear it. I'm dying, nothing can change that." Jace wanted to sigh, but he was far too tired to do so._

_The famine weighed heavily in his mind, and Edgar had been acting strangely for the past few weeks. Now Sorin's disease was getting worse by the time his conditions showed it was actually getting better. Was it just a stage in this disease or was it another symptom they had not known?_

_Adding a few more soothing powders into the mix, Jace began to stir the potion that will help ease the pain in the young man's lungs. "Don't be so glum. Most serious disease undergo a stage where it turns it at its worst, but it's a sign that the patient's body managed to pull out its internal defenses as the final phase will come to pass. I swear you will be better after this part."_

"_Better, worse, cured, get sick some more; that's what you've all been telling me for years. I'm seventeen now, but I've been sick ever since the day I was born." _

_Jace did not stop the sigh from escaping from his lips, he instantly felt guilty when Sorin looked away to stare longingly at the window instead. _

"_I bet you're tired with all my self-pity. I'm tired of it too."_

"_Look, I know you feel bad for calling me away from Yvana, but I'd feel horrid if I didn't come to check on you whenever you get an attack like that." The young heir looked at him with a questioning glance. Jace elaborated. "Sorin, I'm your doctor first and foremost. Your wellbeing is a greater concern over mine. Come here, this will soothe your throat. Just sip and try not to swallow it all at once." Jace handed the concoction to the white-haired noble as he sat down on the edge of the large bed and moved closer to the occupant._

_Sorin wiped the blood that dribbled down his chin and then slowly drank the medicine, his eyes focused outside. When he finished, he handed it back the empty bottle to the medical alchemist and shifted to a more comfortable position. He still gazed wistfully at the exterior of the mansion._

_A sudden urge overcame Jace; tentatively, he reached for Sorin and held his chin and made the younger man face him. Sorin was looking at him curiously and his eyes shone, but Jace did not know what emotion fuelled it._

_Hesitating, Jace leant forward and placed a soft kiss on Sorin's lips._

_There was nothing passionate or unsure about it. It felt just about right, as if he should have done this for a long time ago. He just had his lips pressed intimately against Sorin's, and neither pushed nor pulled away. They didn't even realize that their eyes fluttered close as the minutes passed by._

_Slowly, they came back to reality and pulled away just as slowly as the time passed._

"_Well, that was… nice." Sorin was now smiling, his melancholy washed away._

_Jace laughed, "I suppose so… though, can you promise me one thing?" He asked the last part in a sudden urge as well._

"_Yes?"_

"_Always remember this moment and never forget about it."_

"_I promise."_

_I-I_

He should find another hobby before he's permanently glued to Sorin's libraries.

"Tezzeret had been an excellent artificer. His skills and knowledge in creating artifacts could have surpassed Urza's if he had lived, his talent with the blade was astounding, his design on his etherium arm was brilliant, and his fortitude was truly amazing." Sorin was flipping through the once leader of the Consortium's research notes with an air of nostalgia about him.

Jace raised an eyebrow. "Fortitude?"

Sorin grinned at him, teeth and fangs and all. "Quite so. Though, his etherium arm always leaves annoying scratches…"

Sweet Mishra, he did not want to hear this. The mental image of Tezzeret naked almost made Jace puke inside his mouth, he thought he did. Anything but _that_ kind of conversation, he just couldn't bring himself to think of his once mentor-turned-enemy-now-dead to have… intimate relations. He had to steer the subject away lest he mind-wipe himself and gain the curiosity on why he mind-wiped himself and gain these memories all over again.

So, he coughed. "That aside, I was wondering if you knew anything about his involvement in the Phyrexian war? Jura approached me once for help in Zendikar and I gave him a couple of mooks to handle the situation. Some of my men returned from Mirrodin and that's when I heard that Tezzeret was dead."

The vampire contemplated his words. He shut the codex gently and laid it on the table. "I had heard rumors, of an old dragon giving orders." Bolas, of course, it's always Bolas. "I had to wonder why he would follow them when he once approached me to ask for help to fight against him. Curious indeed."

"He approached you? I was under the impression you don't just give people help without a price if you did not approach them." Jace closed the book he was just reading and began to skim the shelf for anything else interesting. "Did he dismantle a ward or something? Or did he help you with a problem with your directing the magical flow in the pathways of your wards in order to bolster your personal defenses?"

"Oh, Tezzeret did not break a ward or something. Though, he did help me direct the flow of a special kind of magic that bolstered a very personal possession of mine."

It took a moment for Jace to realize where the conversation took a turn. He choked.

Sorin laughed.

Jace scowled at the vampire, glaring at him darkly. The older man chuckled and smirked at him in that smug manner of his that annoyed whoever received it.

"You're doing this on purpose aren't you?" Jace ripped a book about sound magic, hoping to find something that will help him shut the mouth of a five thousand year old vampire.

"Had I not said I experience great joy in making other people uncomfortable? A lot of people find the idea of Tezzeret having relations to be… distasteful. I believe the dreadlocks are a large factor, but had you seen him without it, then it would be an entirely different matter, no?"

Jace was scowling and his eyebrow was twitching. He wanted to claw his eyes out and punch Sorin at the same time. How did he end up making an acquaintance out of this man? Oh right, he trespassed on his mansion, helped him set up new wards, and allowed him access to libraries.

He should try looking for other allies, preferable someone saner and doesn't know Tezzeret other than a passing mention about a guy with dreadlocks that have an etherium arm. The chances of that seemed low.

Thinking about it now and the dream he had last night where… Ehem… Urza, he could not believe that he had a dream like that! It wasn't him technically, but it was Kallist, but it's hard not to _think_of himself as Kallist since he had been living in the body of his best friend for _years_. That aside, he knew that this Erik-person had personal relations with the vampire (if the kiss was any small indication), but his curiosity demanded that he try to find more about this man who had known the Sorin when he was still human.

He was quiet for a few minutes, he actually saw Sorin look at him with a slightly worried expression from his periphery. Gathering his courage, he turned towards the white-haired man and asked. "Who's Erik Corvus?"

Sorin gave him a blank stare before looking away. "He was before your time, nothing more."

But Jace wanted to find out more. He tapped for blue mana and tried to read the other planeswalker's mind as subtly as he can. However, Sorin had more experience with mind mages and it was no surprise that he blocked his thoughts from the older man, but Jace managed to catch the barest hints of guilt and frustration.

"Don't ever try that. I might rescind my kindness and send you on your way with _nothing_ to defend yourself, and-" Sorin cut off his words, realizing the viciousness in his words. He took a deep breath before smiling in apology. "You had to forgive me. That subject is rather sensitive with me and I hope to never discuss it again."

Jace nodded, but his curiosity only increased. He cursed his thirst for knowledge.

Before Sorin had blocked him, he also managed to catch the image of a dark-haired woman wearing an elaborate robe with a teen-aged assistant with heterochromia. Even if Sorin blocked everything from him, what he found was a lot of things.

What stood out most were the woman's words echoing in his head. "-your most important possession."

_I-II_

Gods, he should have stayed in bed.

He did not expect to see Gideon, but he should have expected that Chandra would be nearby. He did not expect the fireball to sail towards him, good thing Sorin was around as well to create a ward of protection around him before the spell hit. That would have hurt.

Gideon had a hard time restraining the pyromancer, and Sorin refused to help, enjoying the chaos in sadistic glee. Fucking Schadenfreude. It was an hour later when Chandra finally calmed down, yet her glare was purely murderous and wards had to be set up to keep everything from spontaneously combusting.

Now here he was, silently mourning his singed cloak and the funds needed to have it fixed. He really should buy similar ones with a cheaper material.

Chandra was sitting next to Gideon who sat next to Sorin who sat next to him. They were supposed to be waiting for Ajani, Karn, Koth, and Elspeth. To discuss what, Jace had no idea.

Apparently, Bolas was planning something big. Surprise, surprise.

The growing tensions in Ravnica was part of his plan, the Phyrexian invasion was part of his plan, the escape of the Eldrazzi was part of his plan, the Shards of Alara coming together was part of his plan, Avacyn's disappearance was—wait, the last one was an accident, and Bolas had no connection to it whatsoever. With all the old dragon's plots spread throughout the Multiverse, one would think that every bad thing that happened would lead back to him. The lizard should get a new hobby.

"Why are we here again?" Chandra asked as she continued to scowl homicidally at Jace. Jace feigned feigning interest.

Gideon sighed, "Bolas made another move. We can't take him on our own. We have to stop him now or the whole Multiverse would be in peril."

"No surprise there, he had always been like that, long before the Mending of the Rifts. Always busy plotting even if his façade as a lazy dragon had long been discovered." Sorin was now sipping wine from an elegant crystal cup; Jace had no idea where he got it.

"So we're here to discuss how to stop him then? In case you haven't noticed Gideon, Bolas has the advantage of having allies over the years due to his ridiculous lifespan. He's probably the oldest planeswalker in existence, and he probably made friends with plenty of other planewalkers that we probably haven't heard of." Nothing new there.

Four paths to the Blind Eternities that opened later, their party turned from four to eight. Their guests all looked tired and ready to fall asleep any moment. Jace ordered one of his minions to have them set on the chairs in the meeting room and serve them some drinks. Not that Karn needed anything. He just stood there, watching.

Introductions and several life stories later, they went on to the topic of their intended meeting: how to save the Multiverse.

"Mirrodin is under duress I take it?" Sorin drawled, swirling the contents of his cup lazily. "Zendikar is mostly fine, however the Eldrazzi linger the Blind Eternities. I believe one of the guilds of Ravnica wish to contact the Consortium due to reasons unknown."

Koth snorted, "Did you pull us out of Mirrodin just to catch up on your bullshit? In case you haven't noticed, as much as we enjoy pelting Phyrexian arses back to what hole they spewed from, we're not yet finished."

"Sorry to pull you out, but I had contacts tell me of the old dragon making a move." Gideon eyed Chandrja, who was staring at Koth's shoulder magma with an intrigued gaze.

"I'm not surprised at all. Every unfortunate event in the Multiverse was a part of his intricate schemes. His goals include immortality and to be the supreme ruler of the Multiverse. How he is planning on making that happen remains unknown, but the damages he left in his wake are enough to convince me that he has to be stopped." Ajani's gruff voice had the pyromancer redirect her attention to him.

"Casualties?" Jace shouldn't have talked, now Chandra was looking at him with the promise of slaughter in her eyes.

"Venser, Tezzeret is still around as far as I'm concerned." What did Elspeth just say?

Tezzeret, fucking Tezzeret was still alive? Fuck. Shit. Shit!

Jace stood up and began to race towards the door. What if there was an artifact in the room and his old mentor might be listening any second now? Worse, what if the old man still had access to those libraries? Alright, that one was a little ridiculous because Sorin knew who entered and left his property because he had the wards recognize their presences.

"He's still alive?" Sorin asked in a hoarse whisper. The look of surprise in his face quickly disappeared, but the mind mage managed to catch glimpses of grief, shock (no shit), and relief (Curious, Sorin wasn't _that_ easy to read effortlessly before). It was enough to make him stop in his tracks.

If Jace hadn't told Sorin how he overthrew Tezzeret, he might have been cursing his stupidity for not telling Sorin because the vampire might not appreciate the way how Jace erased everything in his old fling's mind. Ew, stop thinking that Sorin and Tezzeret had something special.

"Yes, why?" Elspeth asked, peering at Sorin curiously. The vampire only gave her a mysterious smile.

Jace sighed and returned to his place. "Well then, shall we start discussing on how to acquire the help of Niv-Mizzet to stop Bolas? Or do we have to worry about more immortal dragons with plans of Multivere Dictatorship? No? In case anyone is curious, I believe Niv-Mizzet has a key on defeating that dragon, and I'm willing to find out."

_I-III_

He had no idea what he was doing in Stensia, he also had no idea why he's looking around this abandoned mansion either. Alright, maybe he knew why he was snooping around one of Sorin's old mansions, but it was purely in the name of academics!

Gods. That sounded pathetic.

His reasoning aside, the truth wouldn't hurt he supposed. He actually had another one of those strange dreams. They always switch between him as Erik, then he would turn into a casual observer, or he might mistake a wet dream for another memory. The last one was slightly disturbing, but he did get wet dreams about Kallist when—No, don't think of Kallist, damn it.

There wasn't anything special; it was just a wet dream. But a wet dream with him as Erik? Or memory. That actually pushed Jace to research more about the long-dead alchemist. He wanted to ask Sorin, but they were all busy with Bolas….

Okay, he was supposed to be busy with Bolas too, but Gideon called for a break and he's in his free time. Searching for a dead person that had relations with a friend doesn't actually constitute for a healthy free time.

He _really_ needed a new hobby.

"What are you doing here?" Caught. Again. By a woman this time though.

He could hear wings beating, and he could feel a pure and wonderful aura that probably belonged to an angel. Sighing, he pushed his hood down and turned towards the benign creature.

Shit, it's Avacyn.

He did not expect Sorin's angel to be here at all. He was about to open his mouth to answer, but Avacyn's shocked voice surprised him into silence.

"Daddy?"

* * *

**Notes: **And the plot thickens. Dun dun dun dun... What will happen to Jace now? By the way, the Roman numerals aren't chapters. They're months that passed. As we can see, a year and three months passes ever since Garruk strangled Jace to find Liliana.

Was it good? Was it bad? I love feedback~


	4. Chapter 4

**Forget-Me-Not**

_Chapter Four_

"Well, this is awkward."

Nice going there Jace, how smooth. Wait a minute, who's Avacyn? If Erik's memories did not fail him, he only had one daughter, and that was Yvana.

Whoa… 'Yvana Corvus' also worked out as 'Yvana C.' which meant that… Avacyn was his daughter.

Technically, she's Erik's, but Erik was Kallist, but he was also Kallist and Erik. Mind fuckery.

Avacyn blinked (this was rich; it was rare to make an angel look confused. Should he get a reward for it as well?), and her surprised and confused stare turned into a mask of indifference. Her voice was formal when she spoke, sounding very unlike the girl who was missing her father.

"Forgive me if I had confused you for someone else." She examined his clothing. "You are from another plane, correct?"

Jace nodded and backed towards the wall to lean. "I am an associate of your… creator." He had no idea what hurt more: referring to Sorin as an associate, referring to Avacyn as Sorin's creation, or both.

'_Both_,' Jace decided.

There were flashes of a sickly girl in his dreams. She adored Sorin as much as Sorin adored her. Was he the only one left behind?

'_No_,' he's not Erik, '_stop thinking as if you were Erik'_. He was not Kallist Rhoka and he was not Erik Corvus, he _is_ Jace Beleren. He already went through a difficult identity crisis; he was not going through another one again. And no, he wasn't about to start angsting about them now. There's time for them later.

"I see. Forgive me for intruding." With that, Avacyn began to ascend to the heavens. The clouds parted for the glorious protector of the plane, embracing her, worshipping her, and—

'_Putting my little girl's life in danger.'_ Jace blinked.

Didn't he just tell himself that he wasn't Erik Corvus?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

He wasn't bitter, or angry.

So why was he ignoring Sorin like a sullen child?

Sorin was frowning, clearly confused at Jace's cold behavior. The mind mage was ignoring his attempts at light conversations with a simmering temper. Jace supposed that the vampire deserved to know why he received the worst end of his ire, but he couldn't really help himself. He wanted to ask him what he was smoking and prompted him to turn his daughter into an angel and protector of Innistrad of all things. Maybe he was a little angry that Sorin let Avacyn get trapped in the Hellvault and not be there the moment she disappeared from the plane.

It wasn't Jace's anger, he thought, it was Erik's. It was getting harder to separate himself from the previous incarnation. With the help of his own mind magic, he could barely manage to separate his own thoughts and thoughts created from impressions of emotions and memories. There were times that he had to stop thinking in medical terms when observing some of his men returning injured from missions. Damn, his mind was a mess.

Sorin sighed, which reminded Jace that he wasn't alone in his study. "My attention is needed elsewhere for the moment, so you have to forgive me for my brusque exit." The white-haired man stood up, tightening the straps of his arm guards.

When he left, Jace was sardonic for letting the bitter taste in his mouth spread.

_I-IV_

"Hello Jace, it's been a long time, isn't it."

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Liliana, it's been a long time indeed." Think, get out of here. He should have checked the trails properly before reentering Ravnica. Idiot.

First of all, girls like Liliana may be cunning, but Jace knew that there were times that she liked to listen to herself talk. Women were just that complicated. First of all, make her talk, then distract her and run.

_Here we go again, running and running. When did you not run?_ Shut up.

"How's it going? I heard that Griselbrand is dead, never knew you went to Innistrad before." Wait a minute… Suddenly, Liliana looked all too familiar, but different. He blinked.

He wasn't in a dark alley in Ravnica anymore. He was inside a classroom of sorts, and it was empty. Liliana was staring at him; however they did not shine with her corrupted malice (courtesy of the Veil). Suddenly, he felt like he was falling in love for the woman in front of him

As quick as it came, it was suddenly gone. But it left a nasty headache.

He was on his knees and he was already clawing his way through his hair. He had to loosen his jaw to get rid of the numbing pain in his teeth. He didn't even notice that he was already breathing through his nose, and his lungs and throat were on fire. He thought there was a fight on a nearby street before he realized that it was him screaming.

Liliana was kneeling beside him with a worried expression on her face. It took a bit of effort for Jace to read her mind and realize that she was worried. It wasn't that hard to read her mind before, though it was easier reading Sorin's as time passed by.

He was distracting himself from the sledgehammer pounding inside his skull, which was good. Now back to the distractions.

He wanted to dry-heave and he wanted to tell Liliana that line about his 'good-guy resume' he thought up almost a year ago. She would have snorted, but Sorin would have laughed out loud. Ha! Since when was the white-haired planeswalker included in his thoughts? Wait. He had already been there ever since he decided to investigate Innistrad. He should have found a new hobby some time ago.

He was getting sick about 'finding a new hobby' quip of his as well. His throat hurts like hell, but if he could get his hands on some honey, vinegar, red wine, and a bit of crushed thyme, it wouldn't hurt as much. That also brought a troubling thought. When had he been this good with medicine?

He was being carried away. He couldn't actually feel what was carrying him, but he does know that it felt a lot like floating. Where were the wards? The night was cold, which meant geists had been hanging around. Thraben's guards should check this place more often, demons were scheming and—

Before Jace passed out, he was suddenly terrified at how easy it was to be Erik Corvus.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

When he woke up, he was back in the Consortium. There must be a potion for hangovers or something.

What the fuck happened anyways? Alleyway, yes, and Liliana—

At least she did not hide him in a dark castle or something.

His cloak was draped over a chair, and his neatly folded clothes were placed on the dresser next to his bed. He was thankfully wearing a navy shirt and cotton trousers. His underwear were still the same ones he wore this morning, and—

"You had a rather lovely visitor - two actually. To be specific, one carried you home and the other was following the first. He also demanded you… ah, 'come bearing honor as a warrior and fight in the ways of the forest', I believe." Sorin was inspecting his nails (claws, in Jace's opinion) almost lazily as he leant back on the open door's frame.

"Have you ever heard of knocking? Ugh… Can you get me some tea, my head is killing me." Jace plopped back on his bed, massaging his throbbing temples. He wanted to throw up, but he knew that empty stomachs meant dry-heaving. "Get me some ginger tea and maybe lemons…" Wait, wasn't he supposed to be angry at Sorin?

Alright, _Erik_ was supposed to be angry at Sorin about Yvana (Avacyn, she's not your daughter Jace), but his head really hurt and he didn't feel like being cold at Sorin because the older mage can walk and get him some water.

Jace couldn't' really be angry, he did not know what prompted Sorin to turn Avacyn into an angel and Avacyn wasn't his daughter. Erik was angry at Sorin for putting his daughter's life in danger and not making sure she was alright. It was already giving him a nasty headache. He was trying his best to be as Jace as he can, but Erik managed to sneak in through.

There was only one way to solve this.

Jace heard of others going mad from receiving memories from past lives, but it was because they were actively trying to stop them instead of letting them pass until there was nothing left. Well, that was what he was doing because he thought that it would come to pass. He had no choice but to relieve every one of these memories and separate them from Kallist and Jace.

Gods, referring himself in third person was already strange. For now, he had a headache to soothe and a planeswalker to discuss past lives with. Wait… First, he needed to establish the fact that he had forgiven Sorin.

He was staring at Sorin, noting that the older man staring just as intently as him. He was sitting up in bed, leaning on the headboard. Sorin was still by the door, hands in his pockets. There was only silence.

He wanted to voice out that this was awkward.

Jace sighed, he really wanted to apologize for his unreasonable tantrum, but he had no idea how to say it. He does know that it was his pride that was the issue here, since apologizing meant that he should swallow it. He could make the other planeswalker feel impressions of his guilt to let him know that he was apologizing, but tapping for mana felt like a chore and his body still hurt.

Ugh, no choice. "Hey… About what happened some time ago… when I was, well…"

The ward master held up a hand, smirking slightly. "Accepted."

That fast? "You didn't even let me explain!" Not that Jace was complaining or anything, he was just a little off-balanced at how quick Sorin gave forgiveness without any explanation of sorts.

"I do know that some of my actions are offensive to others, so I simply took your coldness to be the same. What mattered was that you apologized, I don't need to hear any reason for your actions, only know that I accept what is graciously given." The five-thousand-year-old vampire was grinning lightly, looking properly ecstatic. However, Jace managed to catch impressions of his emotions, and they were more than ecstatic. Sorin was positively glowing with bliss, and its source was Jace's apology and the idea of having an intelligent mage to discuss magic with once more.

'_That's flattering_,_'_ Jace thought. He looked away to hide the pleased flush blooming in his cheeks. The blue planeswalker began to shift nervously and coughed.

"I should get what you asked for." Sorin said, straightening his clothes and ready to collect the items Jace requested. The vampire did not leave yet, waiting for a reaction from Jace. He looked positively jubilant and a little smug.

Jace would have wanted to punch him for being an ass, but he let it slide.

Jace grinned dryly. "Thanks."

_I-V_

"Not sure where he is, try somewhere else." He wanted to slam the door in front of the elf's face, but she was insistent.

"I felt his trail here, and I won't leave until I see him." Nissa Revane, like her fellow elves across the Blind Eternities, was full of herself and full of Elvin sticks up her arse. "I don't care if Zendikar is safe now. I still have unfinished business with Markov."

The mind mage bristled, but he did let her in. "Break something and I'll kick you out of here."

She nodded, but Nissa kept looking at him with that 'I'm an elf, so I'm superior than you' expression on her face. It was getting a little annoying, but he does know that elves do have that kind of superiority/inferiority complex so he let it slide. For creatures that stuck to ancient ways, it was a surprise that they did not advance, yet manage to hold off invasions. Curious.

He wanted to go back to work, but he doesn't trust the elf not to snoop around. If Sorin's accounts were anything to come by, Nissa has a complex of breaking things when left unsupervised. If the Eldrazi seal was any indication (alright, Jace and Chandra were partly at fault, but Nissa had Sorin to warn her!), it would be best to keep an eye on Nissa and make sure she wouldn't break an artifact in the base.

The lobby was silent for a few moments before Nissa decided to break the silence.

"What is he to you?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Very vague. Who is this 'he' that you're talking about? Venser? Gideon ? My janitor?"

The elf scowled, but she elaborated. "Markov. "

Jace shrugged; he already knew the answer to that. "A… friend, nothing more." Alright, why did his words left a bitter taste in his mouth and sent stings to his cold, cold heart? He knew that it wasn't Erik's influence because instead of getting flashes of time with the still human Sorin, all Jace could remember was that night after he met Liliana for the first time after three years.

They didn't touch or anything (so no feeling of skin smoldering against one another), but it was nice to know someone liked Jace despite his unstoppable ability to make others look like idiots. He couldn't really help it if he managed to know more than his fellow mages and undoubtedly prove how wrong some of their theories were. Though his delivery was partly responsible; he was always sarcastic whenever he countered arguments, and only a few had not taken offense. Sorin happened one of those people, and he loved discussing old theories and new discoveries with Jace. And yes, he does get pleased when Sorin approved of a lot of his own theories and recorded it in his library. Even if he snarked it with the vampire.

Gods, he sounded like a love-truck teenaged-girl.

"Really now?" Nissa asked skeptically. "Doesn't sound like it."

What more could she want? She was intruding, didn't she? She was trying to cross boundaries she wasn't allowed to. Jace isn't obligated to answer her at all. She was being annoying as hell.

"What do you want me to tell you? We scheme for Interplanar domination every night and—"

"—hope to turn every living creature into a vampire?"

Both turned towards the main door, surprised. Nissa was surprised to see Sorin, but Jace was another story altogether.

He didn't realize that he was channeling Sorin's thoughts until the man himself voiced them. He didn't actually feel him enter through the Blind Eternities, he just thought of what Sorin would say to Nissa whenever she's around. He just realized that his mind just reached out to the older planeswalker with the aid of magic.

It had been like this with his fellow Consortium members because of their proximity and continuous communication and interaction, which made reading their minds easy. However, he could not read them across the planes. For the past months, Sorin was his only source of constant social interaction. Now that's why it was becoming easier to read his mind. But that didn't explain why he could read it even if the vampire was not present on Ravnica. It did not happen with Liliana, Garruk, Chandra, or anyone else. Just Sorin.

Well, fuck. That also meant that it goes the other way around as well.

"Vampire!" Nissa snarled. As if one's specie can be used an insult, the elf can use it well. Too bad Sorin was immune to insults.

"Elf," Sorin said in a bored voice. Now the black and white planeswalker was doing that 'I'm trying to annoy you to entertain me' stage when he was with someone he disliked.

The Joraga elf swallowed audibly, and then she bowed. That caught both men off guard.

"I had offended you ever since I freed the Eldrazi and even before that during our travels in Zendikar. I hope you can forgive me."

'_Wouldn't you apologize to the other asshole you were pissed off earlier'_ Jace thought, a little peeved that the elf was hostile with him just so she could apologize to Sorin. Couldn't she be nice to him too? And wasn't she being an ass to Sorin a few minutes ago, so Sorin must be offended somewhat.

Granted he was trying to kick her out, but couldn't she bear the grace of someone asking favors? No? Then fuck her.

"Alright." _What!? _Damn Sorin for being quick to forgive!

"Hey, wasn't she being an ass for breaking the seal? I know that I'm partly responsible, but she broke it! Aren't you even going to make her help us?" No, he doesn't sound like a petulant child, damn it!

The vampire raised a brow. "I know I'm no omnipresent, but I do have friends in a lot of places." That smug vampire was smiling, Jace was just annoyed because if that was him, he would… well, he wouldn't be quick to forgive! That's what he would do! He wouldn't even be nice to her. In fact, the vampire was being too nice, considering that Jace knew him for a long time now. Shouldn't he be at least bear the grace of someone who was greatly offended before accepting reluctant apologies? Alright, Jace had offended him, but not on Nissa's scale of planar destruction!

"Thank you." Nissa straightened. "I know that I may have become a subject for the machinations of someone called Nicol Bolas, and that's why I'm here. I want to help."

"Everyone does; what good would you do if you don't have connections in the right places?" Jace scowled at her, glaring.

Sorin chuckled. It grated on the mind mage's irritated nerves. "Jace, I'm not arrogant enough to presume that we would do fine in small numbers, Bolas' schemes are—"

"—as wide as the Blind Eternities go, yeah, yeah, let her in the band wagon. I'm out of here." If Sorin wanted her in so bad, then he could have her. Jace couldn't care less.

Nissa was looking at them in a confused expression. The vampire only looked amused at the blue planeswalker's annoyance. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're jealous."

Jace scowled angrily and marched away.

He just doesn't like Nissa, and Sorin definitely knew better. He wasn't jealous, damn it.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

This floor was recently finished in the Consortium's building. It was a lab for observing plant life from other planes, of course. Some of the scientist that couldn't planeswalk knew what they were and where they were from, but this place was mostly off-limits for a select few people. Jace was one of those people.

He was listing the properties of a certain plant he found in Zendikar, taking note of what kind of medical properties it could have. He was looking for a cure for Phyrexian compleation, and he thought magical properties of certain flora may help. The Eldrazi needed to be sealed once more, but Jace thought that they could rot for all he cared.

Phyrexians were more important (not because they weren't the Eldrazi) due to the fact that they could assimilate other life forms once they managed to travel through planes. And no, he wasn't throwing another tantrum and avoiding social necessities of talking to other creatures other than himself.

"Figured you'd be here." It was Chandra, and she was surprisingly calm. How rare.

Jace kept quiet, opting to concentrate on testing his mana on the root.

"Looked like you were pretty pissed off at Sorin, again." No shit. "I'm not intruding or anything, Sorin doesn't even know I'm here." The pyromancer sighed. That threw Jace a little off guard. She was being unpredictable, and he hated it. Shouldn't she fling fireballs at him? Much like how Sorin shouldn't quickly forgive Nissa?

No, he's not going there. Sorin can have his way with the elf for all he cared. If Sorin wasn't pissed at her whenever he mentioned the woman, the vampire would be singing praises on her magical abilities. Elves loved hugging trees; of course her magic would be control over plants.

"I don't like you, and you don't like me, I know. But, we're working together, and I think it would be nice to see everyone getting along." Well, looks like little miss fireworks winced.

"Gideon sent you, didn't he?" The mind mage asked as he inserted a sample on a vial before adding a few drops of ethanol compounds.

"Don't change the subject."

Jace snorted. He heard Chandra sigh before she asked again.

"Do you like Sorin?"

"No." He wasn't shaking, nor did his mouth taste bitter, damn it.

If Sorin liked him, it was probably because he thought Jace (Kallist) looked like Erik. And wasn't that a little disheartening because someone liked you because they reminded you of someone else, not because they actually liked you? Jace wouldn't even be surprised if the vampire knew that he (Kallist) was Erik's reincarnation.

Now that worried him a little. Was Sorin only sticking to him so that he would remember being Erik and fall in love with him over again? He hadn't received many dreams in the past few days, but if the good (but slightly tense due to the increase of vampires) years in Erik's life after Sorin became a vampire were anything to go by, he wouldn't be surprised if Sorin would be a little selfish and indulge himself of having someone as his old lover come back from the dead.

That made him doubt himself. What if he wasn't Erik's reincarnation? Would Sorin still like his company?

"Jace—"The mind mage was called out from his concentration. "I think he likes you. I mean, like you _like_ you. I know I don't know him as long as you did, but he looks happier when you're around."

He clenched his fists, irritated. "Really now?" He didn't mean to sound snide, but he couldn't care less. "You just think he looks happier because he enjoys giving me headaches and he loves indulging his sadistic glee."

"I didn't mean it that way Beleren. He's genuinely happy when you're around." Now that's rich. If anything, he looked happier when Nissa was around and he definitely looked gleeful when she decided to apologize.

"And you know this how?"

"Because men are idiotic and emotionally stunted pricks that are blind when someone's going puppy eyes at them," Chandra scowled. "Seriously, he's just being nice to Nissa. I was there before you march off to that idiot that give him an earful. He's not even subtle! He flirts with you all the time!"

"Of course he does. He flirts with everyone."

"You know better than that, and you know he treats _you _differently! Hell, _you're_ the only one he lets to be this close and—"

"Because I look like his old lover, damn it!"

The glass vial he was holding were now shards on the floor. Jace didn't even realize that he was panting until he heard his own breath. His heart hammered against his chest and blood pumped behind his ears. Moments passed when the blue planeswalker managed to slow his raging heart and even his breathing.

Chandra did not speak, but she did leave him alone to his thoughts.

Now he just felt tired and wanted to sleep. He doesn't even know what to feel anymore. All these emotional stress gave him headaches. He just wanted to forget this and move on.

Ha! He's running away again, didn't he just thought that he was sick of doing that? Looked like breaking bad habits were easier said than done. Then he'll damn put more thought into that.

First of all, why couldn't he get his mind off the pyromancer's words? He was being an idiot, that's what. Relationships create complications he did not want to deal with, and having infatuations with an older man counted. He really shouldn't give much thought on what Sorin's opinions or feeling were. He should have learned with Liliana, people always have ulterior motives whenever they wanted your company. There was nothing more to Sorin other than having an intelligent friend, that's all.

If that was the case, then why did he feel relieved that Sorin did not bear any romantic inclinations towards Nissa?

'_You look like Erik, remember?'_ Yes, that's why.

Still, it hurt to know that someone loved you because you were someone else.

_I-VI_

They were all inside the Consortium's meeting room, discussing their progresses. However, those from Mirrodin were understandably absent. They were defending the plane from the New Phyrexians.

Gideon was at the head of the table and Chandra and Sorin were next to him, Nissa was next to Sorin, and Jace was at the other end of the table. It was rather large so no one noted at how far Jace was.

Gideon managed to convince several kingdoms in other places to prepare for war and fortify their defenses. Chandra managed to convince governments to create safety precautions for civilians. Sorin had cast wards on a lot of planes to protect them from the Interplanar advances of the Eldrazi and Phyrexians. Finally, Jace managed to relocate his men to protect key locations and he also managed to create the beginnings of a ritual that will reverse Phyrexian taint upon first contact. It won't reverse the effect after full compleation, but it was a good preventive measure.

As for Nissa, she managed to help prepare for a cage that will be a good place to seal the Eldrazi into. Jace had grudgingly respected her, but it would have been nice if she managed to complete it.

It took two more hours for Gideon to add more things they needed done. Sorin would add a comment or two to make things easier, but they usually involved a great deal of suffering on the part of a few creatures (even if some deserved it), but Gideon would shoot it down if the casualties would be great. Chandra too, Nissa even.

As for Jace, he was unusually quiet.

When their discussion went on Liliana and Garruk, Jace did not react even. He saw Sorin staring at him from the corner of his eyes; the mind mage could feel his worry.

Jace blocked him, making sure that their emotions wouldn't be felt by the other. He doesn't want to know what Sorin feels because that kept him awake at night and he had been bottling them up. If he got anymore, he just might break and let it all out.

When Gideon ended the meeting, they all began to leave. Except for Jace.

And Sorin.

Jace was staring intently at his cup, willing it to burst into fire, but he knew that he couldn't do it even if he tried. His hands were clenched on his sides and he knew that he should be leaving. He doesn't want more emotional baggage.

Then why wasn't he standing up to leave?

"Hey." Sorin's voice was surprisingly soft and gentle. Jace's jaw was clenched painfully, he wanted to leave, yet a part of him wanted to stay and see if Chandra's words were true.

"Did you know that if mind mages spend too much time with one person, their magic creates bond that will allow them easier access to thoughts and emotions? It goes that other way around as well." Sorin stood up, pushing his chair behind him. He slowly strode towards where Jace sat and then placed a hand over Jace's shoulder.

"I know what you feel…" the vampire admitted, albeit a little reluctantly.

The blue planeswalker slapped it away, scowling. He stood up abruptly, his chair's feet screeched against the tiled floor.

"If you know what I feel, then shouldn't it be obvious that I don't want you here, right?" He was on edge. Insecurities and confusion made his head spin and left him hurt and angry at what Sorin could possibly want.

Sorin knew what he felt, but why was he confused with what he felt then?

"I shouldn't have baited you." Jace wanted to flinch. It was rare to hear Sorin sound apologetic, and it was getting harder to hold on to his initial anger at the vampire.

He doesn't even know why he wanted to stay mad. He knew that it was unfair on Sorin's part, but he held on to it stubbornly.

He stayed quiet; the vampire remained just as silent, letting the younger man sort his thoughts.

It was a few minutes later when he had no choice but to acknowledge Chandra's words. Tentatively, he opened the pathway between his mind and Sorin's. He could feel Sorin's confusion and desire to make peace with him, and Jace felt guilty for subjecting the vampire to his unreasonable tantrums twice. Most of all, he felt the vampire's growing infatuation and fascination in Jace as a person.

Suddenly, Jace felt lighter, as if a large burden was lifted. Not all of it was gone as niggling insecurities of Erik and Kallist remained, but what mattered was that Sorin was truthful in his endeavors.

"The truth is…" Jace began, his voice was softer and gentler. "I don't want you to grovel just to make me forgive you. If anything, I should be the one asking for an apology and…"

Jace turned to Sorin, truly apologetic. "I suppose I was really jealous of Nissa… I… I mean… Well, we've known each other for a long time now, didn't we? And she was an ass to you so I expected you'd at least be angry at her…"

Now Sorin smiled, _not smirked,_ in relief. "Well, I'm flattered that you are quick to come in my defense and quick to gain offense when someone insults me. I'm ecstatic to have you around, oh great one."

Jace snorted, but he was rather glad that they were going back to old patterns. The familiarity of their banter was comforting, but there was something new, something different altogether.

That's when he looked at Sorin once more and felt like he was looking at the older man for the first time. His white hair was more like silver than white, brushed neatly. The black scleras were not as intimidating as it was the first time he looked at them, and his golden irises shone in amusement. His skin was really pale and a little grey, but it strangely fit the vampire. His nose was sharp and narrow, couple with his high cheeks and defined jaw; Sorin indeed looked like the vampiric lord he was supposed to be. His lips were pale and a little chapped, and his ears were a little sharp. His shoulders were broad, and he was pretty tall; taller than Jace, but not as tall as Garruk.

That was also Jace realized that Sorin was looking at him with a half-lidded gaze. Jace stepped forward; the older man did so as well.

His hands were warm against Sorin's cold skin as he held the vampire's face intimately. With his other hand, he grasped Sorin's hair and pulled him close. Jace's lips were soft and warm compared to Sorin's cold ones.

At first, it was just a gentle touch and then Jace pulled away. Sorin did not make a move, but Jace felt a flare of irritation at the vampire's lack of reaction. Grasping the silver locks once more, Jace kissed the older man once again, but this was more passionate and heated than the first.

Jace's tongue easily slid inside the older man's mouth, tracing teeth and memorizing the every bit of skin he could touch. The mind mage made a frustrated huff and pulled the taller man's body against his, noting the pleased heat at the vampire's groin. He grinded his hips against the other walker, while he continued with his ministrations in Sorin's mouth, with his tongue a warm contrast against the cold. He could feel their teeth knock together that he thought that it would be break from the contact. Jace pulled away, flushed and a little out breath. He knew his blue eyes were half-lidded and a little glazed, but it wasn't over yet. He was about to reach towards Sorin once more, but that was when Sorin happily responded.

Thankfully, no one saw them head back to Jace's bedroom.

* * *

**Notes:** As much as I love lemons, I haven't written some for a long time, so I won't write something that will inevitably look bad.


	5. Chapter 5

**Forget-Me-Not**

_Chapter 5_

"_Strange isn't it?" Sorin wasn't looking at him, opting to stare at the flourishing garden instead._

_The famine had passed decades ago, and Erik's time had come at last. Long before he realized it, he's now reaching his nineties. Here they were, sitting on a bench in Sorin's manor with the young vampire's head was in the alchemist's lap._

_Sorin remained eighteen, eternally young and ethereal_

"_Cheer up; you'll catch a cold at how glum you look." His voice wasn't as strong as it used to be, but it wouldn't be called feeble or old. "One day we'll get to the point where we have to take a rest, I'm glad that I'm not alone when that day came."_

"_Don't. Please Erik, just… Don't." Sorin sighed, the burden of decades weighing down his shoulders. "I… I can't really ask you to live forever now, can't I?" He knew what Sorin was talking about, and he can only shake his head in sadness as the inevitable began to near. _

"_I'm sorry that I will have to leave you behind. You and Yvana." He reached out to Sorin, tilting his chin so that they may gaze at each other one last time. "Though, knowing that you can jump between dimensions, I don't think you'd be lonely for long. I've always wondered why you held on to this sack of meat."_

_Sorin frowned. "You're not a sack of meat Erik, it's just… I…" _

_Erik closed his eyes, content to have the person he loved for all his life by his side. It was nice knowing that he won't be alone when he crossed the next world, but he felt guilty for leaving the younger man behind, for leaving Sorin and his own daughter alone. It would have been nice to live forever, but Erik didn't want to lose the very things that defined him as human._

"_I… I've been hoping to create a protector for Innistrad. An angel would be grand, but no matter how much I try, my mana is far too corrupt to create a pure and benign creature. Whenever I try to cast protective magic, just laces of tainted mana accompany each spell. It's not as effective…" _

_Erik hummed, carding his hand through the younger man's hair. He was strong, but he could feel his old age draining his vitality away. Slowly and slowly, he could feel his own heart begin to beat slower, his breath just a bit shorter._

"_Erik?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_I'll never forget you, I promise…"_

_Erik laughed, humored at how childish yet mature his once patient had been. He leant down to press a kiss at the once-boy's temple._

"_Thank you."_

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Jace's eye fluttered open.

The dream thankfully did not send him into a raging nightmare, which meant he wouldn't have this rare moment of seeing the older vampire sleep peacefully.

They were naked, and the musky smell of sex was strong in the air. He was facing Sorin, left hand over the older man's hip and the other clasped with the vampire's own. Their legs were entwined and their bare manhood touched. It was already morning, but Jace did not feel like getting up from bed just yet.

With his left hand, he touched Sorin's cheek, curious at how soft yet cold it was to the touch. He continued the intimate caress, soon reaching through his hair, wondering on how the older man managed to keep it smooth and silky. Jace exhaled and pulled Sorin closer, burying his nose on the older man's shoulder.

"Never knew you were the type to cuddle." Sorin sounded amused, no surprise there.

"Should we do this often to find out more?" Jace murmured.

"I would like that, yes." Sorin shifted, pulling Jace closer, circling both his arms around the younger man.

Jace began to ponder his dream. He wasn't Erik in that dream, but he didn't feel like he was observing it either. It was strange, he decided, but after that, the weight of Erik's memories no longer pulled him down. Though, there was still something he wanted to make sure.

"Sorin," Jace paused, waiting for the other to reply.

"Yes?"

"Can we talk about Erik now?"

Sorin was silent for a few moments, and then he pulled Jace closer, burying his nose on the mind mage's hair.

"Avacyn was once known as Yvana Corvus. Her father died before she became an angel. I was already nearing a hundred and twenty years old, still Innistrad had no protector. The planeswalkers before the Mending were godlike in power; I was no exception, yet…"

Jace kept quiet, thinking about Sorin's words and letting them sink in.

"My mana was far too corrupt to create a being of purity and benevolence. I had no choice but to seek help. I managed to find a plane in the form of a house with a shop similar to the ones in Kamigawa. A witch of wishes resided in that place, and she was willing to help me. Since I could not create a new creature, we had come to an agreement to chose someone to transcend humanity and become a servant of light." Sorin stopped talking for a while. Jace could feel the older man's heart beat beneath his skin, in unison with the Jace's own.

"She will give me the power to give Avacyn her angelic might and invest my power into making the men of Innistrad fuel their faith into Avacyn's magic. The wards would stand for generations, until the demons of the plane could be driven away forever." The mind mage felt the vampire close his eyes, but he knew that the tale was not yet over.

"The witch had a price, didn't she?" Jace felt the older man nod.

"She asked for my precious possession. I…" Sorin sighed heavily, but he continued. "I had fallen in love with a man named Erik Corvus, and he was Avacyn's—Yvana's father. He died before Avacyn came to be, so he had not seen how I bought hope to Innistrad."

Jace could feel the nostalgia welling up inside the older man's mind, the frustration wasn't there unlike before whenever he thought of Erik, but there was a sense of closure in the older man that Jace found comforting.

"I asked if she wanted my most expensive item, but she did not refer to material riches. The witch wanted my most intangible possession, something in my heart that I cherished the most. At that point, all that I had left was memories of my old lover."

And Jace was free.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Chandra was staring at him intently, her eyes were narrowed and there was look of deep concentration on her face.

Jace was undisturbed, he was in a good mood and nothing can shake him out of it, even if Garruk magically appeared in the room.

"Did you do something with your hair?" That made Jace break out of his concentration, but he felt amused nevertheless.

"What? It looks the same to me." He knew what she was talking about, but he found out why Sorin thought baiting people was fun. "I still use the same hair products as far as I'm concerned."

Chandra made a strange noise at the back of her throat which was reminiscent of a choking kor. Then she leant forward, as if trying to sniff out Jace, like her olfactory sense would give her the answers. A few moments of trying to smell him, Chandra plopped back on her seat, frustrated.

"You had sex with Sorin, didn't you?" Well, Jace supposed that he could have been surprised, but he was far too happy to make a physical reaction that corresponded with it.

So he shrugged, doing the best he can to keep his expression neutral, but his lips keep on curling upwards into a pleased smile. The universe will have to correct itself later on, and Jace will start snarking again, but he would be happy for now and nothing will sour his mood.

"Argh! I give up! You look like Saturnalia came early, and I have no idea why!" Chandra huffed and stood up, marching away with a pout.

Jace chuckled and continued in his reading, taking note of what spells he could include in this ritual.

It wasn't long when he felt the unmistakably Æther signature that belonged to Liliana. She wasn't exactly Garruk, but not even her presence called him away from his pleasant state of mind.

"Jace, it's been months since our last meeting. Did you miss me?" She fluttered her eyes seductively.

The mind mage flipped his book shut and leant forward, his arms placed above his thighs to support his weight. He looked up to Liliana, contemplative. Well, he supposed it was time to stop running and start facing his own demons. One of them included this necromancer. He sighed and then stood up, straightening his clothes a bit before he started talking.

"Liliana, you waited for me, after I fought with Tezzeret." She stiffened, but she did not leave. "I didn't show up, because I did not want to be Consortium's leader, but now I look like a hypocrite because I became exactly what I avoided." She narrowed her eyes, but she continued to listen.

"I'm sorry. The reason why I took leadership because the members were terrorizing some planes when left unattended. Ever since everything started to get fucked up, well, I wanted to forget everything about you, about Ravnica, magic. Everything. But someone has to do keep things together; I didn't want to do it, but… Now here I am." Jace smiled lightly then his expression turned serious once more.

"I'm not asking for a second chance to light up that old flame, but I wanted you to know that I'll be here when you need help." Now Jace relaxed, glad that this burden of his lightened. He realized that he should have faced his demons before; he wouldn't have to go through those years of feeling without a purpose.

"Jace…" Liliana coughed, her purple eyes shining with acceptance. "Thank you. I suppose that it answered a lot of questions."

Both felt the mighty presence of a certain Wildspeaker approaching from the Blind Eternities. Jace turned to Liliana with one brow raised.

"Will you lift his curse? The corruption is driving him mad." This time, Liliana looked sheepish. That's not good.

"About that curse, well… I was testing the Veil's power I was honestly going to remove it the last time I met Garruk in Innistrad, but…"

"You don't know how," Jace finished dryly, shaking his head.

"Well, at least that will keep his blood pumping at the very least!" she protested, but Jace could hear the laughter in her voice. "If he stops for ten minutes to realize that if he had a holy item with him. That would at least cause the curse's symptoms to disappear!"

"Get out." Jace scowled, but it was in good nature. Still, he needed to face Garruk and hopefully settle down their battles once and for all, hopefully neither would have to come to blows.

Liliana planeswalked away, next to Jace, a large axe lodged itself to the wall.

"You could have killed me!" He turned towards where Garruk would appear, frowning.

"Where is the witch?" Garruk stepped out into the Consortium's floor; his voice was a low growl that echoed across the walls.

Jace wasn't intimidated, not anymore. "No idea, try somewhere else. I suggest that you find an angelic amulet, it would at least hold the curse at bay." The mind mage inspected the axe, trying to find a way to safely remove it without stabbing himself.

"I know she was here, her evil presence pulses strongly in this room." Garruk stepped forward to retrieve his axe, Jace stood aside to let him.

"She was here, maybe five seconds before you appeared. She left without saying where wanted to go. Follow her trail, it's still warm." Garruk wasn't amused with his sarcasm, no surprise there.

"Speak now mind mage or die!" Garruk was about to grab his throat to further make his point, but Jace was unfazed.

Without meaning to, he managed to cast lightning spell that shocked the wild man, Garruk stumbled back. Jace was surprised as well, he didn't realize that he managed to tap into red mana; he was looking at the glowing residue of the red mana after he had cast the spell.

"What sorcery is this?" If Garruk had no helmet, his eyes would have been narrowed angrily.

"It's a lightning spell commonly used by pyromancers, I suppose Chandra could give a more in-depth explanation for—"

"I know what it is!"

Jace raised his hands in surrender, but he was far from quiet. "Look, do you want me to say a random world and when you get there, there would be nothing to see? Do you want me to make you feel better by naming a world that you will undoubtedly havoc if the curse gets to your head? Since I don't want that, I'll tell you the truth. _I don't know_."

Garruk grunted, but Jace knew he was fighting off the whispers of evil the Veil's curse left him with. When he would have felt fear for having a madman at close proximity, Jace only felt pity towards the larger planeswalker. "Return to Innistrad, find Avacyn and ask for help. Or you could continue your endless chase for Liliana as she tries to kill the demons she made a deal with."

The green planeswalker was scowling, but Jace knew that he understood. He could already feel green mana mixed with black saturating the air. "You have to do something soon."

Garruk did not answer, keeping quiet until he managed to create a path into the Blind Eternities once more. "I will seek you out once the curse is lifted." With that, Garruk left.

Jace sighed and sat down, smiling lightly. Well, that went fine, but he still had two more things to make sure of.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Nissa was observing some of the plants in the Consortium garden lab, her gaze lingered on the flowers and saplings from Zendikar.

"Your plane still needs to heal," Jace called out, his voice no longer bearing hostility towards the elf.

"Yeah, I suppose it does." Nissa gazed longingly at a cluster of red lilies, pensive.

"You liked Sorin. Even if he's a vampire, you felt there was a connection when you were helping him. So you were hurt when you found out he was a vampire and when he did not stay to reseal the Eldrazi." Jace's voice was soft, understanding.

Nissa inhaled sharply, turning towards him with a surprised expression. "How did you—"

"I know, I know." He smiled reassuringly at her, and then he stepped towards the table where she had her hands gripping on the sides. "You didn't like me either, but you stayed for the sake of making it up for him."

The elf was quiet for some time, her gaze remained stubbornly averted. "I did, but when I saw the way he looked at you after you left, I knew that… I think you matter to him more than someone he had been with for less than a month could."

'_A year and a month,'_ Jace thought. That was how long he knew Sorin, and both had been exposed to their faults, their virtues, everything.

Jace knew that Sorin enjoyed making a rise out of other people as Sorin knew that Jace was sarcastic because he couldn't help but be. Sorin had a nasty sadistic streak, but he doesn't enjoy the mindless suffering of the innocents. Sorin doesn't like bearing responsibility, but he would honor every one of his bonds no matter what. Sorin would rather fight alone because he wouldn't want to be responsible for the deaths of his comrades, but he knew when to ask for help when he had no choice.

For all those times, Jace had come to know Sorin as Sorin had come to know him. He wasn't really aware of some of his own aspects, but he knew that Sorin could read him easily by his expression, and their growing mental bond had been strengthening as time would pass by.

"I was jealous when I met you. I was thinking '_what could his elf possibly want with Sorin?_' then when you apologized, I really hoped that Sorin wouldn't forgive you. I hoped that he would brush you aside, honestly." Jace was looking up, this floor's ceiling was under an illusion to show the skies of Ravnica, and it helped greatly with the growth of the plants. Jace felt like he was gazing at the blue skies of the plane, but he knew that it was an illusion.

"When you stormed away, he looked really hurt and confused for a second there. He wasn't able to hide it fast enough. That confirmed what I thought though." The elf had an air of understanding around her. "I knew then that he was yours."

Jace only smiled and the air was comfortably silent.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

He had no idea if Tezzeret could still come to this place, but if his old mentor could, then Jace hoped that he would get what he was going to leave behind. Sorin mentioned this as one of the places as memorable to him, because this was where he met the artificer.

_Hey Tezzeret, thanks._

Well, he supposed that if Bolas wasn't keeping the dreadlocked one busy, then his old mentor could get this specially created envelope that will open only to the person it was intended for.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Stensia's mountains did not flourish as much as its neighboring provinces like Kessig and Thraben, but it was once called home to two grandsons of ambitious alchemists.

"You disturbed the wards," Avacyn spoke from behind him. Jace shrugged, but he made a motion for the angel to sit on the broken wall he occupied. The benevolent guardian raised a brow, yet she glided to occupy the space next to the mind mage.

"I just wanted to check on you."

Avacyn remained silent, her emotions were well hidden, but Jace was better. He could feel her discomfort at having someone that looked exactly like her father next to her, and Jace could feel the grief and frustration that remained unresolved. His appearance in Innistrad might have thrown her off-balance, reminding her of things she would have rather forgotten over the years.

Jace was silent as well, contemplating on what he should do next. Soon enough, he found the resolve to tell her things her father would have loved to say.

"He would have been proud of you." The mind mage felt the angel stiffen, but she quickly hid it away. If Jace wasn't anticipating for her reaction, he wouldn't have felt it.

"He was a happy man, loved 'til the end. I guess he would have loved to see you now. Beautiful, strong, and loved by everyone. He—"

"Isn't here anymore." Avacyn's tone was bitter and full of raging emotions that spoke volumes of her past humanity.

"Yvana—"

"That isn't my name anymore." Avacyn leapt from her seat, her wings beating angrily.

"You had no idea how lonely I was. No one wanted to befriend the sickly little _girl_ that was stuck to her bed for all her life. No one wanted to marry me, see me, and _no one cared_! Only _you _and _Sorin_! Do you know how hard it was when you died? Sorin disappeared, he wouldn't appear for _years_. Then he came back and asked me," the guardian of Innistrad took a deep breath in mock imitation of her second father's voice.

"'_Yvana, I want to protect Innistrad, but I can't do it. There will be chaos if a vampire will protect every human being in this plane, will you do it for me?'_ And you know what? I said _'yes'_ just to get out of my bed! I thought it was all grand and fantastic to be free from that cursed disease, but being an angel was _worse_. True, everyone loved _me_, but they all thought I was too far away. Do you know how lonely it was to be around these people, yet never be close to them?"

Jace didn't know, but he does know it was lonely as hell and that would have been cruel.

"The closest they can be with me is when they _pray_. And they always ask for things! Sometimes I can't feed every family, and then they have the nerve to blame _me_ for their misfortunes. Then when I was trapped in the Hellvault, I dind't know what to do! I was so weak and defenseless and I _knew_ what my people were suffering through, and I can't—"Avacyn's words were cut off as Jace grasped her hand and pulled her towards him.

Jace hugged the angel who was once a girl names Yvana. Through his magic, he conveyed everything Erik would have felt for his child. All the love, the grief, regrets, sympathy, and pride shone through and Avacyn felt every single emotion.

Words couldn't let Avacyn tell this stranger that bore her father's face and memories what she felt. But Jace felt every one of them through his magic and he felt every negative emotion that filled the woman before him throughout her life be cleansed and released. Tears poured from her dark lashes as her pain, hurt, and loneliness healed away.

They were like that for several minutes then Avacyn slowly pulled away.

"I… Thank you." Avacyn kissed Jace's cheek. She was smiling now, but tears still escaped her eyes, but Jace knew she was going to be alright.

"It's alright." He was smiling too, and Jace wondered when Sorin will visit the angel.

Avacyn slowly ascended to the heavens, her wings beat beautifully and serenely as she turned towards the light.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Ravnica is a magnificent city, the sunset looks stunning as the rays of light splash over the multitude of stained glass windows all bearing the colors of every guild. Impressive, is it not?" Sorin was swirling red wine on glass once more, gazing lazily at the coming dusk.

"I thought you're afraid of heights?" Jace was pouring through another tome, in search of sealing magic.

"There are times that one must face their own fears and defeat them. There are times each fear meant differently. Why am I afraid of heights? Is it because I'm in a high place or it because I'm afraid to fall? Why is a man afraid to die? Is he afraid that he doesn't know what awaits him, or is he afraid of what he will leave behind?" Sorin was looking at him lazily, indulgently, _knowingly_.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"You didn't answer my question either, but to feed my… ah! So-called 'ego', I will answer it for you." Sorin took a sip of his wine and set it down on the table next to him.

"Man is afraid to die because he doesn't know what await him and he doesn't know what will await those he left behind. He wanted to be sure of the safety of everything he had invested in physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, et cetera. He doesn't want to die because he will no longer be sure if those he loved will be alright without him. He will probably ask '_What will they do without me?'_ so he seeks to be immortal. However, there will come a time that he will have to let go. He will have to accept what awaits him and only trust and have faith for the future."

Jace remained quiet, but he wasn't suspicious nor was he skeptical. He was truly interested in what his friend—lover, had to say.

"Why am I afraid of heights? Was it because I fell from a cliff? Possibly. Or does it remind me of what I had lost and I simply lose myself in remembrance? Likely. But for the past few months, a certain time came that I had to face my fears and defeat them."

"Did you?" Jace asked, placing his book down and he was now making his way towards the older man.

Sorin smiled knowingly once more. "We know."

And Jace kissed him.

* * *

**Notes: **There's an epilogue left, but I'm pretty happy with how this baby turned out. :D

There is a sequel coming up and I'm half-way through the first chapter. :D It's more like a collection of one-shot focused on the 'after the happily ever after' in romantic stories. :D


	6. Epilogue

**Forget-Me-Not**

_Epilogue_

Jace was a well-known mind mage and planeswalker. He's the leader of the Infinite Consortium, an Interplanar organization, and he was one of Nicol Bolas's difficult enemies.

As an academic-oriented mage, he prefers dealing with his problems with an analytical eye and logical thinking. Things like emotions and relationships do not interest him. It's rare for him to exert effort in improving his social skills and communication.

He doesn't like fighting much and he prefers staying away from trouble. It was rare for him to come into his own defense when needed compared to running away to avoid them. If he had any emotional loose ends, he preferred to not deal with it and let it be.

That was all in the past though.

Now, he's a known ally of Gideon Jura in their quest to save the Multiverse, he was a reluctant friend of Chandra Nalaar due to their past encounters, he was also a past lover of Liliana Vess before their falling out after the Consortium's initial destruction, and he was once Tezzeret's pupil. And he's Sorin Markov's lover.

There wasn't anything special about the last part, but it was one of the things that helped him come into terms with all the crazy shit that happened in his life.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Jace."

"Kallist." This time, he wasn't running away.

Kallist smiled sat down, Jace mirrored his actions. They were in a dream of sorts, the sky was above them and the sea was beneath their feet.

"How's life?" Kallist asked. Jace shrugged.

"Not bad, but I couldn't ask for anything better."

"Good."

"Kallist?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

_Fin._

**Notes:** Ah, I finally finished a story, which is a good milestone on my part. Yay!

The sequel will be coming soon once I'm done with chapter 1! Yay!


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